N-doped TiO2 nanotubes/N-doped graphene nanosheets composites as high performance anode materials in lithium-ion battery

To improve the electrochemical performance of TiO2 nanotube as anode materials in Li-ion batteries, N-doped TiO2 nanotube/N-doped graphene composites were prepared via hydrothermal synthesis followed by heat treatment in the presence of urea. The N-doped TiO2 nanotubes/N-doped graphene composites were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, transition electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The electrochemical experiments demonstrated that the as-prepared sample exhibit superior discharge capacity (up to 369 mA h g−1 at 0.1 A g−1) as well as excellent rate ability (90 mA h g−1 even at 5 A g−1 at 180th cycle) as anode materials in lithium-ion batteries.